How Diverse is Your Reading List? An Analysis of BSc Economics Curriculum

Authors: Dunli Li and William Nguyen

Introduction

Gender and ethnicity imbalances in Economics have been long-standing issues. An American Economic Association (AEA) survey indicates that among tenured and tenure-track faculty in economics, only 23.5% are women and a mere 6.3% are black or Hispanic (Bayer & Rouse, 2016). A Royal Economic Society (RES) study shows that in the UK, women accounted for only 26% academic economists in 2018/19, and around 8 percent of standard academic positions in economics were held by Black and minority ethnic women in 2018 (Bateman et al, 2021). The recent RES report shows that of all UK Economics undergraduate students in 2020/21, only 32% were female and white students made up 58.9% (Paredes Fuentes et al, 2023). Furthermore, the content of university curricula remains predominantly Western-oriented (Bhambra, et al. 2018).

UCL, London’s Global University, has a diverse student body from all over the world. For example, in our BSc Economics, the largest programme in the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences, UCL Tableau (2023) reports that 1011 students (representing 88% of the total number of BSc Economics students) are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students. Of these,  390 (33% of the total number of students) are UK students and 621 (53% of the total number of students) are non-UK students in 2022. In terms of gender distribution, there are 726 male students (62% of the total) and 452 female students (38% of the total) in 2022. Therefore it is important to present a BSc Economics curriculum that offers balanced perspectives to students.

In this study, we examine our BSc Economics curriculum and analyse data on gender, ethnicity, and geographic location of the authors in the essential reading lists for all BSc Economics modules. We also explore their relationship with the characteristics (gender, ethnicity) of module leaders who assign these readings. Our analysis indicates there is a lack of diversity of authorship in our BSc Economics curriculum. We start with a compulsory first-year module to begin addressing this issue. We conclude our study by offering some thoughts on addressing the diversity issue in both the short and long term.

Reading List Check: Lack of Diversity

We obtained the reading lists for all the BSc Economics modules for the 2021/22 academic year from the UCL library and module syllabi. We collected data on the authors’ gender, ethnicity, and geographic location at the time of publication. Our findings reveal a significant lack of diversity: the essential reading lists are predominantly authored by white males based in North America or Europe. Specifically, of the 526 assigned readings across all BSc modules, approximately 82.1% are written by male authors and 86.8% by white authors, with 55.1% of the authors working in North America and 41.2% in Europe. For compulsory modules, the majority of authors are male (80.3%) and white (87.9%), with most based in Europe (61.8%) followed by North America (32.4%). Optional modules exhibit a similar pattern, with authors predominantly male (82.3%) and white (86.7%), although the majority are from North America (57.4%) followed by Europe (39.1%).

Furthermore, our analysis indicates that modules led by female or mixed-gender (both male and female) lecturers are more likely to include readings by female authors than those led solely by male lecturers. Similarly, modules with non-white or mixed-race (both white and non-white) lecturers tend to assign more readings by non-white authors compared to modules led by white lecturers only. In particular, optional modules taught exclusively by non-white lecturers assign more readings by non-white authors than those taught exclusively by white lecturers.

Diversify a First-Year Module: An Example

To address the lack of diversity in our BSc Economics curriculum, we begin by revising the reading list of a first-year compulsory module.  This involves diversifying the reading materials and including contributions from top BAME and/or female economists. Additionally, we compile and integrate a list of videos featuring diverse economists discussing their research into the module. Furthermore, we have redesigned the module’s research project, which is part of the summative assessment, to reflect a broader range of perspectives.

1. To diversify the reading list, we have expanded our selection to include a more diverse set of authors, topics, examples and applications. For instance, on the topic of employment and minimum wages, we extend beyond classic research on the US minimum wage to include studies from emerging economies such as China, Thailand, Indonesia. We also facilitate discussions on the minimum wage puzzle in emerging economies to reconcile theory with evidence. On the topic of labour supply, we have incorporated additional readings on female labour supply by Nobel prize laureate Claudia Goldin and have discussions in various countries including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
2. We have summarised the biographies and contributions of leading BAME and/or female economists. Posters have been produced and are circulated among the students.
3. We have identified a selection of videos featuring diverse economists discussing their research and have integrated the relevant videos into the module. For example: Women in Economics Series and videos on economists and their research.
4. We have redesigned the module’s research project, which is part of the summative assessment, to include more diverse perspectives.

• • Before: students were asked to examine an economic question in a predetermined country using a given dataset, e.g. “How effective are the measures implemented by the UK government to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic?”
  • After: students are now asked to investigate an economic question in a country of their choice using a suggested data source that covers a wide range of countries. For example, we provide a real world data source covering 207 countries and ask students to assess the effectiveness of governmental measures taken to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic in a country they select.

Discussion and Reflection

Our analysis reveals a lack of diversity within our BSc Economics curriculum. As an initial step, we have diversified a first-year compulsory module. To achieve greater impact, this initiative should be expanded to more modules wherever feasible. Furthermore, additional actions are necessary. For example:

1. Enhance exposure to work by female/ethnic minority economists (“Role Model” effect). We have organized student interviews with female/ethnic minority professors in our department, during which they discuss the representation of women and BAME individuals in the Economics profession and share their experience of becoming economists. However, the scale of these interviews could be expanded. It would also be inspiring for students to see more female/ethnic minority professors teaching undergraduate modules, particularly in the first year.
2. Foster the learning environment that promotes for relevance, belonging, and growth mindsets. Bayer et al. (2020) found that women and underrepresented minority students experience lower measures of relevance, belonging, and growth mindsets in introductory economic courses compared to their male and non-underrepresented peers. Evidence from STEM fields in the US indicates that with appropriate intervention, lecturers can foster a growth mindset culture in their classrooms, leading to enhanced student engagement, improved experiences, and more equitable academic outcomes (Carlin, 2023). Guidance and examples of effective classroom practices are available at Classroom Practices Library – The College Transition Collaborative.
3. Enhance the supply of underrepresented academics in the longer term. Much attention has been paid to the entry, continuation and degree outcomes of the undergraduate students from underprivileged backgrounds (Paredes Fuentes et al, 2023). It is also vital to support the students inclined to pursue further study and academic careers. Good practices include the Economics PhD Applicant Mentoring Programme (AMP) which assists applicants from underrepresented backgrounds in preparing their applications for economics PhD programmes by matching them with mentors who are PhD students from leading Economics departments, including UCL Economics. Moreover, it is crucial to establish an effective system for the mentoring, retention, and promotion of female and ethnic minority economists.

*Acknowledgement: We are grateful for the financial support from UCL SHS Dean’s fund and EDI fund and the dedicated research assistance from Kuangjie Ni and Geetanjali Dhanekula. We are indebted to Aureo de Paula for his contributions to the earlier version of this work, to Cathy Elliott for insightful discussions, to Hazel Ingrey and Kieron Jones for assistance in accessing the reading lists, and to participants from American Economic Association Conference on Teaching and Research in Economic Education and the Developments in Economics Education conference for their valuable comments. We acknowledge the use of ChatGPT 4 (Open AI, https://chat.openai.com) to proofreading the final draft.

References

1. Bateman, Victoria, Danula Kankanam Gamage, Erin Hengel and Xianyue Liu. 2021. “The Gender Imbalance in UK Economics”. Royal Economics Society. Available at: https://res.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/res_assets/assets/575c241a-fbff-4ef4-97e7066fcb7597e0/women-in-academic-economics-report-FINAL.pdf
2. Bayer, Amanda and Cecilia Elena Rouse. 2016.“Diversity in the Economics Profession: A New Attack on an Old Problem.”  Journal Of Economic Perspectives, 30(4), 221-242.
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